THE critics might claim they need the luck of the Irish - but Gary Breen is hoping a demonstration of the Republic of Ireland's legendary battling qualities will be good enough to keep Sunderland in the Premiership.

Breen, who will be captaining the Black Cats as they return to top-flight action against Charlton later this afternoon, has won 62 Irish caps, with the vast majority coming under current boss, Mick McCarthy.

Jack Charlton might have established the Republic's reputation for unrelenting effort and unshakeable unity, but it was McCarthy who relied on the attributes to guide his side to within a spot-kick of the World Cup quarter-final in 2002.

The Black Cats boss has imbued his current squad with similar spirit and, while they might lack an abundance of star names, Sunderland will not be short of commitment or camaraderie as they look to safeguard their new-found Premiership status in the next nine months.

Last season, West Brom built their successful survival campaign on a mixture of old-fashioned hard work and an irrepressible will to win.

Breen has battled unsuccessfully against the drop with both Coventry and West Ham and is aware of just how important those two qualities can be if things start getting tight at the wrong end of the table.

"The team spirit is something that Mick's worked on throughout his career," said the Sunderland skipper. "I played for him at Ireland and we were underdogs a lot of the time, but we went on to beat the best teams in the world over a period of three or four years. We competed against them no problem.

"Team spirit is important, there's no doubt about that. We went away to America for more than a fortnight and that gave the new lads a great chance to get to know each other and understand what we are all about.

"When I was last playing in the Premiership (in 2003), I was playing for a team that was full of quality. Everywhere you looked, there was a quality player at West Ham - but we weren't a team and we got relegated because of that.

"That's something that won't happen at Sunderland. We won't fail because of how we are as a team.

"The spirit in the camp is a massive factor in football. Our supposed lack of quality has been well documented - a lot of people have been talking about how we lack this or lack that. But we're a team. We'll have a great work ethic and hopefully that will stand us in good stead."

Such level-headedness has come to characterise Breen, both on and off the field, during his two seasons on Wearside.

The centre-half was one of the Black Cats' most influential performers last season, missing just six games as McCarthy's men romped to the Championship title.

And, while Sunderland's youngsters were understandably euphoric following the final game of the season, Breen's understated celebrations spoke volumes for his interpretation of the footballing landscape.

The Premiership is not simply the best place to be in the eyes of the 31-year-old - it is the only environment that counts.

"I don't want to sound arrogant, but I generally believe that, if you're not playing in the Premiership, you're just making the numbers up," said Breen, with refreshing honesty.

"I'm delighted to be there, but I don't feel like a lottery winner or anything like that. This is where I deserve to be and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I stay there.

"I've played the majority of my career in the Premiership and I want to play against the best players. It might sound harsh, but that's not the case in the Championship."

Sunderland will be up against the best for the majority of this season with the likes of Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney ready to put the Black Cats' much-vaunted defensive strength to the ultimate test.

Some of last season's champions know all about facing a team of internationals but, for the likes of Dean Whitehead, Liam Lawrence and Stephen Elliott, the next few weeks represent a huge step into the unknown.

How Sunderland's youngsters handle that transition could well prove crucial to the club's chances of Premiership survival. An inevitable respect is all well and good, but starry-eyed adulation will not be accepted.

"They've got to believe they can be on a par with these people," explained Breen. "They can't get star-struck thinking they're going to be playing against their heroes.

"It's something that's been addressed over the course of pre-season. They'll be aware they're going to be playing against people they've been watching on television but, if they have an attitude of looking up to them, we won't have prepared them very well.

"If the younger lads acquit themselves as well as they did last year - and I'm under no illusions because I know they're going to face a big leap in quality - we shouldn't have too many problems."

If nothing else, they will have Breen to turn to for help and advice.

Wherever Sunderland are headed over the course of this season, one thing is for certain - they will be going there together.

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